Selenga River Basin Research Articles

The water balance of the Selenga river basin

The averaged amounts of atmospheric precipitation, river runoff and evaporation are estimated for the Selenga river basin, including the territory of Mongolia. The results of calculations are represented by point estimates of mathematical of the balance components, and by confidence intervals of their values.

Toxicity assessment of bottom sediments in watercourses in Selenga River basin on the territory of Mongolia

Bioassay methods are used to assess the toxicity of bottom sediments in the main watercourses of the Selenga River basin and Lake Orog in Mongolia. Toxic bottom sediments are found in a brook in the region of the Erdenet Mining and Concentration Complex, as well as in the Eroo and Bukhlyn rivers, which experience the effect of intense gold mining. The conclusion is drawn that the Selenga River water flowing from the territory of Mongolia cannot directly affect the quality of water in Lake Baikal.

The water scavenger beetles of Mongolia with new records from the Selenge River Basin (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)

Species of the water beetle family Hydrophilidae (Coleoptera) occurring in Mongolia are summarized. Detailed locality records and comments on habitat preferences from species collected during the 2004 Selenge River Basin Expeditions are provided. Enochrus quadripunctatus (Herbst) is recorded from Mongolia for the first time, with new locality records for eight additional species. The total number of species recorded from Mongolia now stands at 24.

Extension of Drought Records for Central Asia Using Tree Rings: West-Central Mongolia*

Abstract Central Asian drought has had drastic impacts on vast regions over recent years. Longer records and insight into temporal drought patterns could aid greatly in anticipating extreme events and agrarian planning. Mongolia is representative of the central Asian region, and tree-ring resources are used herein to extend the climate record and test for solar influence and/or Pacific Ocean teleconnections. Absolutely dated tree-ring-width chronologies from five sampling sites in west-central Mongolia were used in precipitation models and an individual model was made using the longest of the five tree-ring records (1340–2002). The tree-ring sites are in or near the Selenge River basin, the largest river in Mongolia and a major input into Lake Baikal in Siberia. Regression models resulted in a reconstruction of streamflow that extends from 1637 to 1997 and explains 49% of the flow variation. Spectral analysis indicated significant variation in the frequencies common to Pacific Ocean variations [Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and ENSO] and also some quasi-solar and lunar-nodal periodicities similar to previous Mongolian hydrometeorological reconstructions in eastern Mongolia based on tree rings.

New Records of Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) from Mongolia with Review of Distribution and Biogeography of Mongolian Chironomidae

Fourteen species of Chironomidae (Diptera) are recorded for the first time from the Hovsgol Nuur region, Mongolia, increasing the total number of chironomid species from this country to 166 (Table 1). Two major studies have contributed the most data on distribution of Chironomidae in Mongolia. The first study, summarized by Kozhova et al. (1994) and Erbaeva and Safronov (in press), was based on 20 years of research on Hovsgol Nuur, an ancient lake in Northern Mongolia. The second study, by Sasa and Suzuki (1997), described many new species and listed many species of Chironomidae from Central and Southwestern Mongolia. In addition, Reiss (1971) described and listed species of Chironomidae collected from sites throughout the country and Hayford and Ferrington (in press) studied the distribution of chironomids in Hovsgol Nuur. The current valid name-author-date and biogeographic region distribution for Mongolian Chironomidae were obtained from Ashe and Cranston (1990) and are listed with the Mongolian distribution for each species in Table 1. Of the 118 species of Chironomidae listed from the Hovsgol Nuur Region, fourteen are new records for Mongolia (Table 1). Collections were made during June and July of 1995-1997 as part of a joint United States, Mongolian, and Russian expedition to the Hovsgol Nuur Region. Adults were collected using malaise traps and sweep nets and pupal exuviae were collected using methods modified from Ferrington (1987). Eight of the fourteen newly recorded species, Ablabesmyia nr. cinctipes (Johannsen), Cricotopus (Cricotopus) cylindraceus (Kieffer), Heterotrissocla dius subpilosus (Kieffer), Parakiefferiella nr. smolandica (Brundin), Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) schlienzi Wiilker, Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) sordidellus (Zetterstedt), Dicrotendipes lobiger (Kieffer), and Dicrotendipes septimacullipennis (Goetghebuer) were collected from the shore of Modon Hui, an island in Hovsgol Nuur. Six species, Krenosmittia camptophleps (Edwards), Parametriocnemus boreoalpinus Gouin, Rheosmittia spinicornis (Brundin), Saetheria reissi Jackson, Cladotanytarsus vanderwalei (Edwards), and Corynocera ambigua (Zetterstedt) were collected from sandy bottom streams flowing into Hovsgol Nuur. Most of the Chironomidae in Mongolia have a cosmopolitan distribution (Table 1). Forty-seven species have a Holarctic distribution, with some additionally found in the Oriental and Neotropical regions. Seventy-nine species have a Palaearctic distribution, with some of these additionally found in the Oriental, Afrotropical and Australasian regions. Species with a Palaearctic distribution tended to have a West Palaearctic distribution, with very few species having an East Palaearctic distribution. This distribution is similar to that of caddisflies reported by Morse et al. (in press), with the exception that most caddisflies were also found in the nearby East Palaearctic region. Nearly 20% of the species of Chironomidae found in Mongolia are endemic, with most described by Sasa and Suzuki (1997). However, note that specific type localities are not clear. Thus, it is uncertain where some species were originally collected. Distribution records for species within Mongolia come primarily from the Hovsgol Nuur region or from sites close to Ulaanbaatar. Currently, two studies are underway to collect Chironomidae in central (Selenge River basin) and western (saline lake district) Mongolia, which should vastly increase the known species of Chironomidae from this country.

Hydrological regime analysis of the Selenge River basin, Mongolia

AbstractArid and semi‐arid regions are very vulnerable to environmental changes. Climate change studies indicate that the environment in such areas will steadily deteriorate with global warming; inland lakes will shrink and desert areas will expand. Mongolia is a landlocked country in north‐central Asia that contains a unique ecological system consisting of taiga, steppe, and desert from north to south. The Selenge River basin (280 000 km2) in northern Mongolia is a semi‐arid region underlain by permafrost, between latitudes 46 and 52°N, and longitudes 96 and 109°E. The issue of sustainable development of the basin is very important owing to its limited natural resources, including fresh water, forest, and rangeland. To examine the water cycle processes in the basin, a hydrological analysis was carried out using a simple scheme for the interaction between the land surface and atmosphere (big‐leaf model) coupled to a hydrological model for the period 1988–92 to estimate the hydrological regime of the basin. Annual precipitation in this period averaged 298 mm, ranging from 212 to 352 mm at a 1 ° × 1 ° resolution based on data from 10 gauges, and the estimated annual evapotranspiration averaged 241 mm, ranging between 153 and 300 mm. This indicates that evapotranspiration accounts for the overwhelming majority of the annual precipitation, averaging 81% and ranging between 64 and 96%. The annual potential evapotranspiration in the basin averaged 2009 mm; the ratio of evapotranspiration (actual to potential evapotranspiration) was 0·12 and the wetness index (annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration) was 0·15. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogeography of Thymallus spp. (grayling) provides evidence of ice‐age mediated environmental perturbations in the world's oldest body of fresh water, Lake Baikal

Theories on the hydrological history of Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and deepest body of freshwater, and its surrounding great rivers, are currently based solely on geological evidence and are conflicting. Baikal is inhabited by numerous zoogeographical enigmas but their high level of endemism has hindered phylogeographic inferences. We provide a biological perspective of the region's palaeo-hydrological development based on the demographic and genealogical history of the widespread Thymallus spp. (grayling). Phylogenetic reconstruction reveals that old lineages of grayling (pre-Pleistocene) currently inhabit the Enisey, Lena and Amur River basins. For Lake Baikal however, we conclude that a mid-Pleistocene colonization (110000-450000 years ago) of an unoccupied niche has occurred. Population genetic inferences support an Enisey-Angara river route of colonization into Baikal, corresponding to the cataclysmic palaeo-hydrological event that led to the formation of the lake's only contemporary outlet, and a subsequent range expansion several thousand kilometres into the uppermost reaches of the Selenga River basin. The evolutionary history of Lake Baikal grayling is congruent with the controversial hypothesis of repeated glaciation. However, considering the extraordinary levels of endemism and proposed Miocene or Oligocene coalescence of other faunal lineages, a less profound but equally consequential cycle of environmental perturbations may have taken place. Bi-parentally inherited microsatellite DNA loci supported the phylogenetic relationships of Thymallus spp. and the geographical expansion of Baikal grayling strikingly well. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo modelling approach suggested severe contemporary population decline during the last century, possibly reflecting the influence of an uncontrolled fishery on this treasured ecosystem. These complementary pictures of the demographic history of grayling underscore the breadth of historical inquiry that can be entertained through the modelling of sufficient molecular data, and may significantly alter the zoogeographical and limnological perspectives of Baikal's history.

Occurrence of frost heaving in the Selenge River Basin, Mongolia

Occurrence of frost heaving in the Selenge River Basin, Mongolia

Occurrence of frost heaving in the Selenge River Basin, Mongolia

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The Black Fly Breeding Sites in the Mongolian Part of the Selenge River Basin (Diptera: Simuliidae)

AbstractThe breeding sites of black flies in the Selenge river basin were analysed by different clustering methods, reciprocal averaging and detrended correspondence analysis. Nine types of black fly breeding sites were established. The type of breeding sites is determined first by a complex of water environmental factors controlling the zonality of watercourses, second by the transzonal factor‐complex induced by geographical zones. The different types correspond to the crenal, rhithral and (epi)potamal in taiga, forest‐steppe and mountain steppe zones, respectively.

New and Rare Bryophytes in the Flora of Mongolia

The known bryophyte flora of Mongolia consists of 269 moss species in 109 genera, and 40 liverworts in 25 genera. The present study is based on the examination of bryological collections of two Polish Scientific Expeditions and three botanists to Mongolia in 1977 and 1978. More than 25% of the species occur primarily in Central Asia and Southern Siberia, 47% in the Northern Hemisphere and 28% are widely distributed or cosmopolitan in the world. Only rare bryophytes and those new to Mongolia are included in the present paper. The investigated bryophytes were collected mainly during two Scientific Expeditions of the Polish Academy of Sciences to the Mongolian People's Republic. The first Expe- dition (I) was organized for the Selenga River basin and Asaraltu range (Central Aimak, northwestern Khentei Mountains), 1977. The second (II) was planned for the Kerulen River basin, Dumda Bajdalag-gol basin, southeastern Khentei Mountains, in the pro- gramme of Expedition Transmongolia 78, Khentei II, June-July, 1978. The above ex- peditions and their exploration programmes were organized and directed by Dr. K. Pqkala from the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin. In addition, this paper includes two collections of bryophytes made in the Gobi Altai Mountains by Prof. D. Fijalkowski and C. Sandagijn, student of biology, who collected mosses in their native region in the Ta- myrin-gol (River) valley, Khangai Mountains. The bryoflora of Mongolia has been very poorly investigated. The first papers on this poorly investigated territory of Central Asia, mainly concerning areas neighbouring Central Siberia and China were published by Dixon (1928), Kaalaas (1918), as well as by Brotherus and Savich (1931). The paper of the latter authors contains a list of the species collected as early as 1902 by A. A. Elenkin, a Russian botanist, during his journey in the Sayan Mountains and northern Mongolia. However, fundamental studies on the bryophyte flora began with the publishing of a paper by A. L. Abramova and I. I. Abramov (1956). Their later papers were published with C. Cegmed (1977a,b, 1979). Data from herbaria have made it possible to correct the distribution of the acrocarpous mosses given in the first volume of the Handbook of the Mosses of the U.S.S.R. (Savich-Ljubitzkaya & Smirnova 1970). Single articles on Mongolian bryophytes were published also by Duda (1968), Boros (1970), Stefureac (1974) and Schubert et al. (1977). However, of major importance are the publications of Bardunov (1965, 1969) on mosses of the Eastern Sayan Mountains and Central Siberia. As a result of determinations of the collections of Expeditions I and II to the Khentei Mountains and of two private Mongolian collections (over 3600 specimens), 179 species of mosses, 5 species of peat mosses and 13 species of hepatics have been identified. In this paper, only more sparsely distributed taxa are listed. The main members of the moss flora are represented by common forest and epilithic species of the taiga associated with Larix sibirica-Pinus sibirica-Betula spp. Among the rich collections from Mongolia, there 007-2745/81/339-343$0.65/0